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Sixty-Sixth Congress, Third Session - House Document No. 1028 



FRED L. BLACKMON 

(Late a Representative from Alabama) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SIXTH CONGRESS 
THIRD SESSION 



Proceedings in the House 
February 20, 1921 



Proceedings in the Senate 
March 2, 1921 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION UF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 



ll-ZL^H, 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1922 



EZ 71-8 

'-2)6 2, 11 ' S~ 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
RECEIVED 

DOCUMENTS DiViolON 






TABLE OF CONTENTS 

• 

Page 

Proceedings in the House 1,42 

Prayer by Rev. James Shera Montgomery, D. D 2 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 3 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. S. Hubert Dent, Jr., of Alabama 7 

Mr. T. H. Caraway, of Arkansas 10 

Mr. William A. Ashbrook, of Ohio 12 

Mr. Henry Garland Dupre, of Louisiana 13 

Mr. Hubert D. Stephens, of Mississippi 15 

Mr. William W. Venable, of Mississippi 17 

Mr. Henry B. Steagall, of Alabama 20 

Mr. William B. Oliver, of Alabama 25 

Mr. John McDuffie, of Alabama 27 

Mr. George Huddleston, of Alabama 30 

Mr. William B. Bowling, of Alabama 32 

Mr. Edward B. Almon, of Alabama 34 

Mr. C. William Ramseyer, of Iowa 36 

Mr. Thomas M. Bell, of Georgia 38 

Mr. Lilius B. Rainey, of Alabama 40 

Proceedings in the Senate 45 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Oscar W. Underwood, of Alabama 49 

Mr. Joseph T. Robinson, of Arkansas 51 

Mr. Kenneth McKellar, of Tennessee 52 

Mr. William J. Harris, of Georgia 54 

Mr. J. Thomas Heflin, of Alabama 58 



[m] 



DEATH OF HON. FRED L. BLACKMON 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 



Tuesday, February 8, 1921. 
f Mr. Almon. Mr. Speaker, it becomes my painful duty 
to announce the death of my colleague, Hon. Fred L. 
Blackmon, of the fourth congressional district of Ala- 
bama. At a future time I shall ask the House to set aside 
a day for exercises in memory of the life and character 
and public services of our late colleague. In the. mean- 
time I otter the following resolution. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolution. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

House resolution 676 

Resolved. That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, a Representative from the 
State of Alabama. 

Resolved. That a committee of 18 Members of the House, with 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved. That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved. That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Mr. Almon. I move the adoption of the resolution. 

The resolution was agreed to; and the Speaker ap- 
pointed as the committee on the part of the House Messrs. 
«Dent, Almon, Oliver, Steagall, Huddleston, Bankhead, 

[1] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

McDuffie, Rainey of Alabama, Bowling, Bell, Raniscycr, 
Rouse, Radcliffe, Sisson, Jones of Pennsylvania, Lee of 
Georgia, Jacoway, and Venable. 

Mr. Almon. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following further 
resolution. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Alabama offers a 
further resolution, which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 4 o'clock 
and f>9 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until Wednes- 
day, February 9, 1921, at 11 o'clock a. m. 



Wednesday, February 9, 1921. 

The House met at 11 o'clock a. m. 

Rev. James Shera Montgomery, D. D., pastor of Calvary 
Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington, D. C, offered 
the following prayer: 

Our Heavenly Father, Thy mercy is without measure, 
and the gates of Thy love are wide open. Pity us if we 
forget Thee. Write Thy law in all of our hearts, that it 
may become a simple rule of conduct. 

Comfort the bereaved ones who are to-day in the vale 
of shadows of their sacred dead, and bear them through 
the troubled waters of their grief until the mysteries of 
the night are dissolved into the promises of the morning. 
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

The committee informally rose; and the Speaker hav- 
ing resumed the chair, a message from the Senate, by Mr. 
Crockett, one of its clerks, announced that the Senate had 
passed the following resolution (S. Res. 441) : 

[2] 



Proceedings in the House 



Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, late a 
Representative from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That a committee of six Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to join the committee appointed by the House of 
Representatives to take order for the superintending of the 
funeral of Mr. Blackmon at Anniston, Ala. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
• the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
'the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 



Saturday, February 19, 1921. 

Mr. Dent. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent for 
the present consideration of the following order. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Alabama asks 
unanimous consent for the present consideration of an 
order, which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Dent, by unanimous consent, 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 20, 1921, be set apart for 
addresses on the life, character, and public service of Hon. Fred 
L. Blackmon, late a Representative from the State of Alabama. 

The Speaker. Without objection, the order will be 
agreed to. 

There was no objection. 

Sunday, February 20, 1921. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to 
order by Mr. Rucker as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., of Wash- 
ington, D. C, offered the following prayer: 

Our Father in heaven, before entering upon the sacred 
duties of the hour we humbly and reverently bow in Thy 

[3] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Blackmon 

presence that we take increased devotion to the sacred 
dead who died at their posts leaving behind them an 
enviable record. Members of this legislative body dead 
though they live in the memory of those who knew them. 
Let Thy loving arms be about their friends, colleagues, 
especially the members of their respective families, to 
uphold and sustain them until the mists have rolled away, 
for when the stars shall fade and crumble into impal- 
pable dust we shall live and love in eternal glory, for it is 
writ in letters of light "I am the resurrection and the life; 
he that believeth in me shall never die," for Thine is the 
kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 

Mr. Almon assumed the chair as Speaker pro tempore. 
The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the 
special order of this hour. 
The Clerk read as follows : 

On motion of Mr. Dent, by unanimous consent, 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 20, 1921, be set apart for 
addresses on the life, character, and public service of Hon. Fred 
L. Blackmon, late a Representative from the State of Alabama. 

Mr. Dent. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolution 
which I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ala- 
bama offers the following resolution, which the Clerk will 
report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

House resolution 691 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of 
Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, late a Member of this House from the 
State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career, the House at the conclusion of these exercises shall stand 
adjourned. 

[4] 



Proceedings in the Hotse 



Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved. That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
family of the deceased, 

Mr. Dent. Mr. Speaker, I move the adoption of the 
resolution. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, the reso- 
lution will stand approved. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Chair will first recog- 
nize the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Dent]. 



[5] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Dent, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : I hardly know whether I can trust myself 
to speak on this occasion in memory of my departed 
friend, Hon. Fred L. Blackmon. 

Neither Damon and Pythias nor David and Jonathan 
ever enjoyed a more intimate and unbroken friendship 
than that which existed between him and myself. 

For 10 years we were closely associated under every 
conceivable circumstance that bring men together in the 
relation of friendship, and never during that entire 
period was there ever the slightest misunderstanding be- 
tween us. It is, therefore, a very painful duty to speak in 
honor of his memory. 

Mr. Blackmon was born at Lime Branch, Polk County, 
Ga., on the loth day of September, 1873. At the age of 
10 years his parents moved to Calhoun County, Ala., and 
there he continued to reside until his untimely death. 
After receiving an education in the common schools of 
that county, he entered the University of Alabama, finally 
being graduated from there in law. He immediately en- 
tered perhaps the most prominent law firm in that sec- 
tion of the State and continued his connection until he 
entered Congress. From 189G to 1900 he was city attor- 
ney of Anniston, Ala. From 1900 to 1910 he was State 
senator from Calhoun County. In 1910 he was elected to 
Congress from the fourth Alabama district and was con- 
tinuously reelected up to the time of his death, having 
been recently elected lo another; term in the next 
Congress. 

[V] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Blackmon 

It will thus be seen that he had practically held public 
olhce since his maturity, never having suffered a political 
defeat. During his entire political career he never at any 
time bowed to what was supposed to be popular clamor, 
but always stood steady to his convictions regardless of 
the popular tide. Such was his record for 10 years in the 
State senate and such also was his record for 10 years in 
the Halls of Congress. He was a working Member of Con- 
gress and not an ostentatious one. He did things for his 
constituents. Camp McClellan, near Anniston, Ala., is a 
fitting testimonial to his usefulness as a Representative in 
Congress. 

He was genial, affable, and cordial in manner. He had 
the faculty of making friends and holding them hard and 
fast. This faculty took a wide range among all classes of 
people. I doubt if any man ever possessed this faculty 
to a greater degree than did Fred Blackmon. His affec- 
tion for his mother, though natural in a son, was mani- 
fested to a marked degree. Indeed it was rare. He was 
a fond and devoted husband and his love for his two 
children, Fred L., jr., and Sara, was one among the many 
beautiful characteristics of his life. 

A devoted husband, a tender and affectionate father, a 
true and loyal friend, a bold, courageous, and honest 
statesman, a splendid citizen has gone from among us. 
His death is mourned throughout the length and breadth 
of the State of Alabama, where he had a wide acquaint- 
ance, as well as among the many friends and associates 
whom he knew in Congress. Personally, I mourn his loss 
more deeply than I am able to express. If ever there was 
a true, loyal, and honest soul, it was in the bosom of Fred 
Blackmon. 

I seek some consolation in this sad hour in the follow,- 
ing verses from the Psalm of Life: 



t8] 



Address of Mb. Dent, or Alabama 

Tell me not in mournful numbers 
Life is but an empty dream, 

For the soul is dead that slumbers, 
And things are not what they seem. 

Life is real, life is earnest, 
And the grave is not its goal: 
' Dust thou art, to dust returnest " 
Was not spoken of the soul. 



[9] 



Address of Mr. Caraway, of Arkansas 

Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen : The one act more than any 
other that prompts my desire to pay a brief tribute to our 
departed colleague is that nearly eight years ago eight 
years the 7th day of next month — he and I stood here on 
this floor and took the oath of office together; he for his 
second and I for my first term in this House. After we 
had done so he turned to me and introduced himself and 
shook hands with me — the first man outside of my own 
delegation that had done so in this body; and during all 
the years of our service I never saw him that he did not 
speak to me and shake hands with me — always with that 
smile which bespoke his goodness of soul. He never for- 
got my name, and I never forgot his. He made me feel as 
if we were friends of long standing and not acquaintances 
of but a few days. 

I never saw him depressed and I never heard him utter 
a single expression of despair. He thought well of his 
fellow Members. He was passionately devoted to his 
country. He cherished a divine hope of the future. No 
utterance of his on this floor could be classed as dema- 
gogic. He spoke his convictions, and he voted them. He 
was no opportunist, no time server. He never cast a vote 
in this House inspired by the hope that it would be help- 
ful to him politically. He looked only to the one thing — 
was it wise, was it patriotic? If he decided those things 
in the affirmative, he thus voted, and then never apolo- 
gized for the position he took. He was one of the few men 
with whom I served in this body who had a clear convic- 
tion on every question that was presented for his con- 
sideration. I never saw him in doubt as to a course. I 
never heard him express any regret — I speak of it politi- 
co] 



Address of Mr. Caraway, of Arkansas 

cally — that he was compelled to choose sides in any con- 
troversy that might be waged in this House. He was a 
man of courage, of conviction, tender-hearted, and a true 
friend. His services in this body I shall not now review, 
nor shall I extol his virtues, both as citizen and legislator. 
These I shall leave for those who knew him better. My 
remarks, feeble and few, shall be confined to the person- 
ality of the man whom all here knew and for which all 
loved him. 

Kind, considerate, cheerful, full of compassion for the 
faults and foibles of his colleagues and all mankind- 
loving and loved, he lived and died. Somewhere his im- 
mortal spirit lives and loves and waits for those whom he 
here loved and who grieve because he is gone. 

Peace be with those who remain; we know it abides 
with him. 



[11] 



Address of Mr. Ashbrook, of Ohio 

Mr. Speaker: Like a number of the other Members of 
the Sixty-sixth Congress, I retire to private life in a Few 
days. One of the sweetest things I shall carry back home 
with me is the memory of the acquaintances and friends 
that I have made during my 14 years of service here. 1 
count myself fortunate, indeed, in having known Fred 
Blackmon well, I considered him my friend — I know I 
was his friend — and when Fred Blackmon was your 
friend he was a friend indeed. My acquaintance with 
him dated from the time he came to Congress and con- 
tinued uninterruptedly most pleasant. I was with him 
much during his service in this body. I enjoyed his ac- 
quaintance and fellowship. I never heard him say an 
unkind word of anyone. He was always a gentleman. I 
never knew a man who had a sweeter, more gentle, and 
lovable disposition than Fred Blackmon, and of all the 
friends and acquaintances I have made in this House 
none do I cherish higher than that of our friend in whose 
memory these services are held to-day. His untimely 
passing was a great shock to his large circle of friends. 
Three weeks ago to-day, Mr. Speaker, he occupied the 
chair which you now fdl when like services were held for 
the late Senator Bankhead. A few days later, when yet 
scarce at the meridian of his usefulness, he was stricken 
down, and the place that knew him once will know him 
no more. But while we sincerely mourn his passing we 
are cheered and comforted by the memory of this choice 
spirit, and rejoice that it was our privilege to have known 
Fred Blackmon. Not soon will we forget him. Let us 
then seek to emulate his virtues, which so outshone his 
foibles that our memory of him will ever be fragrant 
with the flowers of love and kind deeds. 



112] 



Address of Mr. Dipre, of Louisiana 

Mr. Speaker: Only a little more than an hour ago, in 
reading the Record of yesterday, I discovered that an order 
had been entered for memorial services to-day in behalf 
of the late Representative Fred L. Blackmon, of Alabama. 
I came over to the Chamber to attend those exercises and 
attest by my presence my sincere regret at his demise. 
Since I have sat here an impulse has come to me and 
grown that I should say something on this occasion. It is 
true I speak without preparation, but preparation could 
aid me naught in the matter of expressing my friendship 
for Fred Blackmon or my sympathy at his loss, except 
possibly to help me polish a phrase or two or to recall and 
utter some half-remembered appropriate quotation. My 
feeling of friendship for him was deep and my apprecia- 
tion of his character is lasting and basic, and though in 
this brief expression of sorrow I may not fittingly express 
those thoughts, still they are at the bottom of the words 
that well up from my heart to-day. 

Ten years ago, when Fred Blackmon came here, I was 
among the first to know him. I met him through my late 
beloved colleague. Bob Wickliffe, of Louisiana, who lived 
at the same hotel with him. I took a liking to him, and 
that liking developed into friendship. I sought his com- 
panionship, I was glad to be with him. He was a man 
whom I respected. He had bravery, he had frankness, 
he had gentleness, he had tolerance, " the milk of human 
kindness." He had all the elements that appeal to me in 
a man, so when I think of him gone, when I remember the 
wife and children whom he left behind to whom he was 

76117—22- — 2 [13] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Blackmon 

so devotedly attached, I can not help saying, he " should 
have died hereafter." 

If I recall aright, Webster, speaking of Calhoun, said : 

Nothing mean, low or groveling, ever came near his head or 
heart. 

In all truth, one might say that of Fred Blackmon. 



[14] 



Address of Mr. Stephens, of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: My relations with our departed friend. 
Fred L. Blackmon, were such that I would feel that I had 
failed to perform a solemn duty were I not to add a re- 
spectful tribute to the eulogies that have already been 
offered on this occasion. 

For 10 years, lacking a few days, we were colleagues in 
this great legislative bodv. During that time our rela- 
tions had been very intimate and exceedingly pleasant. 
We spent many hours .together. I learned to know him 
and to appreciate him for the many qualities that wert» 
characteristic of him. 

He had a charming personality. He knew how to make 
himself thoroughly agreeable in any company. 

He was an entertaining conversationalist, could tell an 
apt story, and never failed to enliven every occasion by 
his humor whenever it was seemly to do so. 

He was a friend to the weak and lowly. His ear was 
ever open to their cry; his time was always theirs; always 
courteous, considerate, and anxious to lend a helping 
hand; he made friends readily, and having once made a 
friend he held him by the strength of his character, the 
charm of his personality, and his willingness to give much 
more than he demanded of his friend. 

His was a strong intellect and he was always anxious to 
learn the reasons underlying and giving strength to any 
proposition. He was unwilling to be a mere follower. 
While willing to listen to suggestions from friends, he 
was unwilling to lend his support to any measure unless, 
in his judgment, it measured up to the standard of the 
fundamental political principles of our Government. 
When his judgment was convinced, he was as unyielding 

[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

as any man I ever knew. He never left a position or 
surrendered an opinion simply because it did not meet 
with popular approval. However unpopular his position 
might be on any subject, those who knew him never 
doubted his honesty and they never censured him unduly. 

Fred Blackmon was an able lawyer, an earnest and 
faithful legislator, a lover of humanity, a devoted hus- 
band and father, a generous friend, and a noble soul. 
Representative government is safe so long as the people 
choose such men for their servants. 

I shall never forget him. When I shall think of him it 
will always be as one whose impelling idea was — 

, Not only to keep down the base in man, 

But teach high thought and amiable words 
And courtesy and love of truth, 
And all that makes a man. 



[16] 



Address of Mr. Venable, of Mississippi 

Mr. Speaker: I came into Congress five years ago, and 
among the first acquaintances which I made was one with 
Mr. Blackmon. It happened that we were stopping at the 
same hotel, and we had otfices close to one another in the 
House Office Building. And so I came to know him quite 
well and had an opportunity of forming some estimate of 
his character. 

I do not know that I can add anything to what has been 
said. I can only emphasize what has been stated to have 
been his predominant characteristics. I think that what 
impressed me most about Mr. Blackmon was his funda- 
mental sincerity, which is but another way of saying his 
fundamental honesty. He was without pretense, without 
concealment. His nature and his mind were so organized 
that he could not be happy without being sincere, and that 
characteristic was a predominant one, not only in his 
daily life and conduct but also in his daily thinking. It 
characterized his service as a Member of the House. It is 
the explanation, I think, of the reason why in his service 
here apparently the only consideration which entered his 
mind and determined what position he would take was 
the consideration of what he honestly believed to be cor- 
rect according to principle. It also served, I think, as the 
fundamental basis of his political thinking. I noticed in 
talking with him about the matters upon which we were 
called upon to vote that he instinctively tested the ques- 
tion by the criterion of some fundamental principle which 
he believed in and the preservation of which he thought 
would promote the good of the country. As I said, he 
could not be happy and be insincere. Therefore his very 
nature demanded that in his congressional service he 

[17] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Blackmon 

should vote as he was led to believe to be for the best 
interests of the country according to the fundamental 
principles in which he believed. And his congressional 
service in that respect had a peculiar and outstanding 
consistency. 

I do not know of a single vote that he cast since I have 
been in the Congress with him that varied from the prin- 
ciples in which he believed. His conception — and I think 
it is the true one — was that a Representative in Congress 
was not a mere delegate to voice a sentiment or an emo- 
tion of current character uninfluenced by the conclusions 
of his own intellect, but his conception of this Govern- 
ment was that it was representative in character and that 
representative government implied that the Representa- 
tives should exercise judgment and not voice merely a 
current sentiment and current thought of the time. 
Therefore his positions, I think, were as little influenced 
by what might be considered the current and ephemeral 
thought of a moment as any man in the Congress, with the 
result that the people of his district always received in 
the decision of any public question the very best judgment 
as to their welfare that Mr. Blackmon was capable of 
forming. 

This sincerity of character, in my judgment, is the ex- 
planation of his remarkable political success. He im- 
pressed the people with that quality, and while they 
might from time to time differ with him upon a particular 
position, yet, having confidence in the integrity of his 
purposes, in the sincerity of his motives, occasional differ- 
ences did not alienate their political friendship. 

Another outstanding characteristic in Mr. Blackmon 
was that he had, to a remarkable degree, that divine 
capacity for love which always calls to similar qualities 
in other people and is a creative force to inspire similar 



18] 



Address of Mh. Venable, of Mississippi 



emotions in others with whom such a man comes in eon- 
tact. I was impressed in attending his funeral and watch- 
ing the large crowd that had gathered to do him honor 
to note that every class and kind of man was represented 
in the gathering. 

Men of the most diverse attainments, men from differ- 
ing environments, men far apart in station, all came and 
stood upon the common ground of a common affection 
for Mr. Blackmon. There could be no explanation for it 
other than that the quality which he had and capacity 
which he had, of love for his fellows, inspired a corre- 
sponding love in them. 

It is not surprising, then, that with this quality he was 
found to be kindly in spirit, gentle in manner, a good 
neighbor, a good citizen, a good husband, because to be 
otherwise would have contradicted and run counter to a 
predominant trait of his character. I can say, I think 
with truth, that few men will be missed more than he. 
Everyone who came in contact with him will feel a loss, 
and surely a man can pay no higher tribute to him than 
in saying that the predominant characteristic of Fhed 
Blackmon was the capacity for love, which has been 
given as the definition of Deity Himself. 



[19] 



Address of Mr. Steagall, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : There are no circumstances that can 
reconcile us to the death of one we love. Always there 
are reasons which to our minds are sufficient to make us 
marvel. Most unfathomable of all is the Providence 
which removes from us one just approaching the period 
of his greatest power and usefulness. At such an hour 
death claimed Fred L. Blackmon. The dread summons 
came in his forty-seventh year. He was born in Polk 
County, Ga., September 15, 1873. When he was a child 
his parents moved to Calhoun County and settled on a 
farm near Anniston, Ala. Here amid the humble scenes 
and surroundings of a modest farm among the mountains 
the son grew to manhood. He worked on a farm, at- 
tended a little country school, and fished and hunted 
along the streams and woods. The simple sports, the 
healthful habits of a boyhood spent in close contact with 
nature and her lessons were reflected in the development 
of a mind and body of remarkable superiority. The as- 
sociations of his boyhood gave him an understanding of 
men and a democratic simplicity and sympathy which 
made it easy for him to win the friendship of his fellows. 
He attended the University of Alabama and studied law. 
Almost upon reaching his majority he was admitted to 
the bar and began at once to show qualities which marked 
him as one bound to succeed in his profession. Soon he 
became a member of the firm of Knox, Acker & Black- 
mon, of Anniston, which was generally regarded as the 
leading firm of lawyers in Alabama. He grew steadily 
as a lawyer, enjoying the unqualified confidence of his 
associates and the public. His first political honor was 
a nomination and election to a term of four years in the 

[20] 



Address of Mr. SteaGall, of Alabama 



State senate. He served so ably and well that lie was 
elected again for another term. Before the expiration of 
his second term as State senator he was nominated as the 
Democratic candidate for Representative in Congress 
from the fourth congressional district and elected in No- 
vember, 1910. He served continuously from then until 
the time of his death. Last November he was reelected 
to the Sixty-seventh Congress. 

I have known Mr. Bi.ackmon for about 15 years, but my 
first intimate acquaintance with him began when I en- 
tered upon my duties as a Member of this House six years 
ago. We were on the same floor, with only one door 
between our offices, in the House Office Building, and our 
association was very intimate. I learned early to appre- 
ciate and admire deeply his many lovable traits. From 
my personal association with him I gathered a knowledge 
of his virtues which could not have been had from mere 
observation of his official acts. Mr. Bi.ackmon was one 
of the men with whom I have come in contact whose 
utterances and votes in the House tallied absolutely with 
the convictions and opinions which he expressed in the 
cloak room and to close personal friends in private con- 
versation. 

He was an unostentatious man and so intensely honest 
that he shrank from the suggestion of anything like mere 
show. He had a devotion to his convictions that super- 
ficial observation would not disclose. He was not noisy 
on the floor of the House. He did not indulge so fre- 
quently in debates as some Members, but there never was 
a time when he hesitated to make known or record his 
views when it became his duty to do so. This characteris- 
tic was well and appropriately described a few moments 
ago by the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Venable]. 

Mr. Bi.ackmon was an intense Democrat — a devout be- 
liever in our representative system of government. He 

[21] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

believed in the distribution and division of powers which 
the fathers of the Republic attempted to establish for all 
time. He believed unfalteringly in the doctrine of State 
rights and unyielding opposition to the centralization of 
power in the Federal Government. It may be truly said 
that so well did he measure up to the highest standards as 
a Representative in Congress that his vote, with not a 
single exception during all his long service here, repre- 
sented in his honest judgment his duty to his constituents 
and his country. If I were called upon to point out the 
greatest fault of Congress it would be the frequency with 
which Members of Congress — not from bad motives, I am 
sure — listen to appeals which ought not to be heeded and 
fail sometimes to let their votes express their own judg- 
ment of what ought to be done by the representatives of 
the people in this great body. I believe sincerely that if 
the same courage and devotion to convictions which Fred 
Blackmon possessed could be made the unvarying rule 
with Members of both brandies of Congress we should 
witness at once the obliteration of every weakness that 
threatens the perpetuity of the Republic. If only our 
legislation could be made to express the independent 
thought of the men who compose the membership of the 
House and Senate, thoughtful men could face the future 
unafraid. 

A corresponding characteristic of his devotion to his 
convictions was his loyalty to his friends. He had a 
capacity for winning and holding the affections of men 
that I have seldom seen equaled. It happened to be my 
lot to convey to his friends here the shocking news of his 
death. The announcement came first to our colleague, 
Mr. Drane, from a friend in Florida, and the message was 
handed me by Mr. Drane. I began immediately to com- 
municate the sad news, first to members of the Alabama 
delegation. In every instance, even among the humblest 

emplovees about the House Office Building, all who heard 

[221 



Address of Mr. Steagall, of Alabama 

Ihe message stopped to express their regret and in many 
instances to evidence their grief with tears. I was a 
member of the congressional party that attended the 
funeral. I do not think I ever observed more widespread 
manifestation of sorrow among the people of an entire 
community than was shown by the good people of Cal- 
houn County and other sections of Alabama represented 
at the funeral. 

I stood by the new-made grave on the mountain side 
and watched the vast throng gathered there. On one side 
there was an assemblage of colored people. They stood 
just beyond the grave from me, and I saw them as, with 
tears rolling down their cheeks, they watched the casket 
borne forward amid a profusion of flowers to its last rest- 
ing place. I thought of the many friends assembled, the 
respect paid by the Congress of the Nation, the grief shown 
in high official circles, the eloquent address of the minister 
still ringing in my ears. But as I looked into the sad- 
dened faces of the Negroes in front of me I thought as I 
think now that, after all. there can he no higher eulogy of 
any man than that the humblest who knew him should 
pay him the tribute of tears. These simple, humble 
people knew the big heart forever hushed, and they knew 
they would miss the generosity and kindliness so long 
enjoyed. 

I venture the statement that no Member of this House 
has greater personal hold upon the people of bis district 
than had Mr. Blackmon. Mr. Speaker, we have had some 
strenuous and hard-fought issues in the politics of Ala- 
bama during the past 10 years. During a portion of this 
time Mr. Blackmon was an avowed adherent of policies 
to which a majority of the people of his district were 
ardently opposed. They knew that he would not change 
his convictions to lit public opinion or follow the for- 
tunes of politics. But. notwithstanding the issues that 

[23] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Bi.ackmon 

sometimes divided the electorate into hostile camps, he 
had always a personal following that made him invincible 
in his district. 

Mr. Blackmon loved the people who had honored him. 
He loved the scenes and associations of his native State 
and was impatiently planning voluntarily to retire from 
public life and take up again the practice of law among 
his people at home. Above all, he desired to resume life 
with his family, free from the interruptions and hin- 
drances unavoidable on the part of Members of Congress. 
His devotion to his family was a matter of common com- 
ment among his friends, and he often expressed his solici- 
tude for them and his desire to have larger part in the 
education of his children. About a year and a half ago 
he came into my office one day and finding me alone sat 
down and handed me a paper which he said he wanted 
me to read. It was a letter addressed to his son, filled 
with advice, based upon life experience and wide knowl- 
edge of men and affairs. He realized that his physical 
powers were not so strong as they had been. He even so 
expressed himself to me. I read and reread the letter, 
which breathed the tenderest affection and solicitude for 
both his children and their mother. It was one of the 
most beautiful letters I have ever read and would adorn 
the library of any home. So it was at all times and every- 
where. He loved those about him and thought always 
of their welfare and happiness. He spent his life in un- 
selfish service, but he drew about him thousands and 
thousands who were happy to serve and honor him. Let 
us trust that the same generosity and charity which he 
practiced here may be shown him in his journey into 
the great beyond. 

Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul 
Will keep the path, but will not reach the goal; 
While he who walks in love may wander far, 
But God will bring him where the blessed are. 

[24] 



Address of Mr. Oliver, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: The highest tribute that can be paid to 
any man is that he was loved by his fellows. Certainly 
no one enjoyed in a larger measure the love, the respect, 
the confidence of all who knew him more than did Fred 
Blackmon. 

How eloquently and beautifully this was testified to by 
that large gathering of friends, from far and near, from 
all walks and callings in life, who stood recently by his 
open grave, in his home city of Anniston, to lay him away 
amid a wealth of (lowers unsurpassed. The rich and the 
poor, the high and the low, the white and the black were 
there to blend their tears and share a common sorrow for 
the friend who had gone. 

The reason why he was great in death was because he 
merited it in life; he did for others rather than for him- 
self. He was generous, even to his own hurt; he was 
charitable; true fraternity abounded in his heart and 
made him ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort and 
welfare if it promised a larger measure of happiness to 
others. 

He was honest with himself and with others, and always 
adhered to the injunction — 

To thine own self be true, 

And it must follow as the night the day 

Thou can'st not then be false to any man. 

He has left a life work so splendid, a record so enviable, 
an influence so lasting that one is wont to ask, Why, then, 
regret his early decease? 

True, his family and friends will miss him; they have 
suffered an irreparable loss. His district is deprived of 
an able Representative, and the loss to State and Nation 
is great, but from the standpoint of the man there is 

[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

nothing to regret in the fact that he was called in the very 
prime of life, in the hour of vigor and strength. 

He was a firm believer in the Christian religion, a 
church member, with an abiding faith in the immortality 
of the soul. He died before the first touch of age, before 
the first disappointment that must inevitably come when 
one realizes the failure of power; he went out at the 
summit in harness amid the successes of an active life, 
when all looking on feel the poignant loss. 

So while we sympathize with those he left behind, we 
need not mourn for the dead. He has gone beyond, we 
believe, to a future of added usefulness, where the power 
and strength he laid down here will be taken on under 
better conditions and used in far greater fields of useful- 
ness than is possible in this rapidly passing existence of 
ours. 

While we can not touch his hand, we yet can feel his 
life; though his body rests in peace beneath the fading 
flowers, he still lives within our hearts, and we are sure 
that the good influence of his life will not pass away, 
for — 

There is no death! An angel form 

Walks o'er the earth in silent tread, 
And takes our best-loved things away, 
And then we call them dead. 

But ever near us, though unseen, 

The dear immortal spirits tread, 
For all the boundless universe 

Is life. There are no dead. 



[26] 



Address of Mr. McDiffie, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: Again and for the third time within two 
years the House of Representatives is meeting to pay trib- 
ute to the memory of a distinguished Alabaman.: 

We often wonder why the life of a strong and valuable 
man should be cut down in the very prime of its useful- 
ness; yet this question can not be answered by human 
beings because to us it has not been given the power to 
understand, and we are only reminded that " even in the 
midst of life we are in death." 

How difficult it is to realize that Fred L. Blackmon has 
left the scenes of his earthly usefulness. But a few weeks 
ago he was amongst us with all his splendid cordiality 
and vigorous activity. To-day he sleeps beneath the sod 
of his homeland on a beautiful hillside which overlooks 
the city of Anniston, Ala., whose people he loved, honored, 
and served so well. 

The death of Mr. Blackmon was to me a personal loss, 
and mere words are feeble and inadequate on this occa- 
sion. While I had known him for many years, and knew 
his reputation throughout Alabama as a man of superb in- 
tellect and splendid integrity, and as a great leader in the 
progress and development of our State, yet I was not 
closely associated with him until I came to serve in this 
House. Here our association became intimate. As a be- 
ginner in the work of Congress I often called for his wise 
counsel and sound judgment, and he always gave it cheer- 
fully, patiently, and gladly. He seemed to find a pleasure 
in giving me the benefit of his advice and experience 
whenever I consulted him. Like all others who knew him, 
I learned to love him for his genuineness and sincerity; 
I learned to admire him for his courage and loyalty to his 
convictions. He had the brain power to grapple with «nd 

[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

settle the most difficult problems in his public service, and 
he had the courage to cany his ideas into effect. 

Mr. Speaker, it is always easy for one in public life to 
drift with the current, but it is only the strong man who 
elects to stem the tide. The records of the Congress as 
well as the records of the Legislature of Alabama disclose 
the fact that Frederick L. Blackmon as State senator and 
as Member of Congress did not seek the lines of least re- 
sistance and drift witli the current in order that he might 
curry temporary, popular favor. With his keen and 
powerful intellect he firmly visualized every proposition 
witli which he was confronted as a public servant, and 
stood firmly and "foursquare," with a conviction that 
was honest, a purpose that was pure, and a heart that was 
big and generous. I never saw him lose his splendid 
poise. He was as solid as the rock of Gibraltar. It is no 
wonder, then, that even those who disagreed with him at 
times politically admired his courage and appreciated his 
sincerity. It is no wonder that he drew close to him and 
held firmly the friendship of strong men. It is no wonder 
that he had such a hold on the hearts of a grateful con- 
stituency. Mr. Blackmon had real friends, and drew from 
them a quality of friendship which meant devotion, and 
even sacrifice, without the asking, if the necessity for 
sacrifice arose. That was the kind of friendship he gave 
and the same quality he received. 

Being true and sincere himself, he expected the same in 
others, and therefore he spurned that political activity 
which was even akin to that of the demagogue. Being 
well grounded in the fundamental principles of his party, 
he served it unselfishly and faithfully. His every official 
act was done, and his every vote was cast, during more 
than 20 years of public service, with the highest sense of 
duty to his people, his State, and his Nation, serving each 
as only a patriot can serve. 

[28] 



Address of Mr. McDiffie, of Alabama 

Mr. Blackmon was a great student of human nature. 
He seemed to understand men probably better than any- 
one else I ever knew. He was slow to pass judgment on 
his fellow man. Always giving the best he had, it was 
natural that he sought for the good rather than the evil 
in others. He preferred to seal his lips rather than speak 
of the faidts and shortcomings of his fellow man. This 
characteristic was so noticeable in him that I mentioned 
it to him on one occasion, and how well do I remember his 
reply, which was, "As my little son grows into manhood 
and takes up his life's work, though I may be dead, I hope 
when he comes in contact with those who have known me 
they will associate with him only the good they may have 
found in his father." His devotion to his family was 
beautiful. 

Fred Blackmon admired men for their real worth re- 
gardless of their financial, social, or political position. At 
his funeral I saw hundreds and hundreds of men from 
field and factory, from shop and store, and from every 
walk in life, both white and colored, with heavy hearts 
and heads bowed down in grief. Every person, from the 
old colored servant, who in tears sobbed that she had lost 
the best friend she ever had, to strong men in high sta- 
tions of life, seemed deeply and visibly affected by his 
death. 

We mourn his loss here. Olticial Washington will miss 
his genial smile and hearty cordiality. The Alabama 
delegation will miss him. The Congress will miss him, 
and his death is a distinct loss to the people of his district, 
the State of Alabama, and the whole Nation. His memory 
will be cherished so long as we live. Truly it can be said 
of him: 

His life was gentle, and the elements 

So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up 

And say to all the world, "This was a man!" 

76117—22 3 1") 



Address of Mr. Huddleston, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: When we analyze the character of our 
departed friend [Mr. Blackmon] we come upon three 
beautiful qualities which he possessed to an extraordinary 
degree. They were his predominating characteristics. 
They mark his life and measure as a man. 

First I place among Mr. Blackmon's characteristics his 
virtue of loyalty. Loyal men are born, they are not 
made. The instincts of loyalty are natural, they are not 
acquired. Loyalty is a sentiment of the heart, it is not an 
attribute of the mind. He was a loyal man in the best 
sense of that term. He was loyal to his home town and 
home community, to his district, to his State, and to our 
common country. He knew no divided nor qualified 
allegiance to the objects which he loyally cherished. In 
none of them could he find fault, and he would allow no 
other man to find fault in them in his presence. He was 
loyal to the institutions of the section in which he lived, 
to the traditions of the South, to its best, its noblest, its 
highest; to its dreams and to its ideals. He was loyal to 
what we know and speak of as American institutions, the 
old-fashioned things of our country, to its liberties, to its 
aspirations, and to its memories and its hopes. 

Next I place among Mr. Blackmon's qualities his capac- 
ity for friendship. He loved his friends deeply. There 
was a delicacy and self-sacrifice in his attachment to them 
akin to that found in women. He loved his friends un- 
selfishly always. He was willing to prefer them, their 
wishes, their inclinations, and their interests above his 
own. He who would have friends must show himself 
friendly. No man who loves and cherishes his friends 



[30] 



Address of Mr. Huddleston, of Alabama 

truly and with singleness of heart ever finds himself with- 
out friends. Small wonder that a vast concourse of 
friends gathered at Mr. Blackmon's grave. 

Mr. Blackmon's third great quality was generosity. He 
cherished no ill will. He forgave all. He overlooked 
the errors and shortcomings of all. He ever turned the 
actions of others to the hest light. He interpreted the con- 
duct of men in the light of his own sincerity of purpose. 
No word of criticism of any fellow Member of Congress 
was ever heard from him. To him they were ever pa- 
triotic and good men. Over their faults and mistakes he 
drew the veil of charity. He was incapable of small, 
mean thoughts or petty criticism. He wanted men to be 
noble and true, and sought always to believe them to 
be so. 

We shall miss him. Alabama will miss him. The 
House of Representatives will miss him. The Nation will 
miss him. His great district will send one of its splendid 
citizens as his successor. That he may be comparable to 
our departed friend in these great qualities that mean so 
much to public virtue and to private worth is my deep 
hope. No man can ask for more. 



[31] 



Address of Mr. Bowling, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : Our lamented friend, Congressman Black- 
mon, and I were boys together down in the beautiful Choc- 
colocco Valley in Calhoun County, Ala. We attended the 
same church and went to the same school. Together we 
entered into the sports and diversions of the time. To- 
day, as I stand in this Hall and with his many other 
friends do honor to his memory, many happy recollec- 
tions of incidents in the days of our youth and young 
manhood come to my mind as memory brings the light of 
other days around me. 

He lived in a fine old southern mansion, the abode of 
culture and the home of a generous hospitality. A grove 
of great oaks about the home is known far and wide in 
Calhoun County as the Blackmon Grove. In years gone 
by it was a noted meeting place for political orators, and 
many times there were staged fierce political discussions. 
To all of these forensic contests Mr. Blackmon, as boy and 
man, was an interested listener, and in his front yard, as 
it were, he learned his first lessons in political battle, the 
influence of which served to shape his life and fix his 
destiny. 

After a while our lines diverged and for a number of 
years I saw him but little. I knew, of course, that he was 
an honored Member of Congress, playing well his part and 
reflecting credit upon the State of his adoption. 

It has been a personal satisfaction for me to hear his 
fellow Members to-day pay tribute to the sterling qualities 
of his manhood and his great worth as a legislator. That 
he was a friend faithful and true all who knew him will 
attest; that he served the Nation well in a great crisis is a 
part of the written record of our country, passed on for 
the benefit and the admiration of those who shall succeed 

us here. 

[32] 



Address of Mr. Bowling, of Alabama 

The last public appearance of Mr. Blackmon in the Hall 
of Congress was three weeks ago, when he presided as 
Speaker pro tempore at the memorial session in honor of 
the late Senator Bankhead. He was a stricken man then, 
but no one dreamed that the end was so near. That night 
he left this city to visit his home in search of health. In 
a few days, hoping that the balmy air of Florida would 
benefit him, he went to that State, but death was fast upon 
his footsteps, and the end came within a few hours after 
reaching the home of a kinsman in the land of flowers. 

Of the events of his last hours no extended account has 
come to us; but we do know that with characteristic forti- 
tude and tender remembrance of those he loved he gave 
his directions touching matters close to his home and his 
heart. Of his immediate family none were present except 
his little son, Fred, jr., to whom he spoke his final word of 
cheer and love. 

I doubt not that in those last hours, when the world was 
receding, when the light of this world faded from his 
dying eyes, he caught the gleam of the light that streams 
from the eternal city; and when his dying ear no longer 
heard the sounds of earth he caught the strains of music 
proceeding from the great throne. A noble man has gone. 
Peace to his ashes; God rest his soul; and may those he 
loved ever abide within the shadow of the everlasting 
wing. 

Here Mr. Huddleston took the chair as Speaker pro 
tempore. 



[33] 



Address of Mr. Almon, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker: It has been my good fortune and pleasure 
to know our friend and late colleague, Fred Blackmon, 
for the past 20 years. I first knew him when we would 
meet at the capitol in Montgomery, Ala., when I was serv- 
ing in either the senate or the house and he was in the 
senate. I remember how well he stood before the people 
of Alabama as a public man when he served in the capac- 
ity as senator from Calhoun County for 10 continuous 
years. I remember his reputation as a lawyer as well as 
a legislator in those days. He was regarded and consid- 
ered as one of the brightest and most promising and most 
useful young men of Alabama. At the end of his 10 
years' service in the Alabama Legislature he was honored 
by the people of the fourth district and sent to the Con- 
gress of the United States for 10 consecutive years, and 
has illustrated that same life and same character of use- 
fulness and ability during the past 10 years in the service 
of the United States as a national legislator that he did 
as an Alabama lawmaker during the 10 preceding years. 

I think that our colleague from Alabama [Mr. Huddles- 
ton] struck the keynote when he said the outstanding 
characteristic of Fred Blackmon was loyalty. He called 
attention so beautifully and so well to the different 
characteristics of loyalty that predominated in the charac- 
ter of Mr. Blackmon. That accounted largely for his hav- 
ing so many friends. I never knew a public man who had 
more loyal friends than Fred Blackmon. He was loyal to 
his friends, and even those who disagreed with him on 
public questions admired and respected him. He was a 
man of decided convictions and had the courage to stand 
by them, speak out, and vote his convictions on all occa- 
sions. His loyalty to his friends was beautiful. He was 

[34] 



Address of Mr. Ai.mon, of Alabama 



a man who did not find fault with his friends. He was 
a man who overlooked and did not criticise his friends 
if he found in them any faults and frailties. The last 
official act of our lamented friend was three weeks ago 
to-day when he presided over this House on the occasion 
of the memorial services held in honor of the late Senator 
Bankhead, of Alabama, and when he walked out the door 
no one thought that that was the last time that he would 
appear in this House as he had appeared so continuously 
and with such distinguished ability for the last 10 years, 
and his death came to us as a great surprise and as a great 
shock. The Alabama delegation will miss him, and we 
shall always profit by many of the examples that he has 
set before us as a course that we should follow. We will 
profit by emulating many of his characteristics and traits 
of character. His character and public service have been 
so well portrayed here by different Members of this 
House, both from Alabama and other States, that I deem 
it unnecessary to take the further time of the House. He 
was my personal friend for the past 20 years. I was 
grieved greatly to hear of his death, and shall miss him as 
will the other Members of the House and the members of 
the Alabama delegation. 



[35] 



Address of Mr. Ramseyer, of Iowa 

Mr. Speaker: This hour has been set aside by order of 
the House of Representatives for memorial addresses on 
the life, character, and public service of Hon. Fred L. 
Rlackmon. In this way we preserve the memory of our 
distinguished and beloved colleague through the perma- 
nent records of our Government, a distinction he merits 
not alone because he was a Member of this body at the 
time of his death, but more on account of his achieve- 
ments in both private and public life. 

Hon. Fred L. Rlackmon came up from the lowly walks 
of life to a place of power and influence in our National 
Government. Ry toil, privation, and industry he edu- 
cated himself and was admitted to the bar. Ry his abil- 
ity, perseverance, and integrity he won early recognition 
and success in his chosen profession. He was public 
spirited. He became a student of public questions. He 
was large hearted and sympathetic. The common people 
trusted him and elected him to the greatest legislative 
body in the world. 

As a Member of this body most of us first learned to 
know him and to admire and respect him for his sterling 
qualities, his devotion to the public service, and his fidelity 
to his constituents whom he served in this House so faith- 
fully and so ably. 

I served with Mr. Rlackmon on one of the most impor- 
tant committees of this House for nearly four years. I 
learned to know him well. His life and character will 
be an inspiration to the young men of his district, State, 
and Nation. It was the lives of men such as that of Hon. 
Fred L. Rlackmon that Longfellow had in mind in the 
following lines: 

[36] 



Address of Mr. Ramseyer, of Iowa 



Lives of great men all remind us 
We can make our lives sublime, 

And departing, leave behind us 
Footprints on the sands of time. 

Footprints that perhaps another 
Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 
Seeing may take heart again. 

Let us, then, be up and doing 
With a heart for any fate; 

Still achieving, still pursuing, 
Learn to labor and to wait. 



[37] 



Address of Mr. Bell, of Georgia 

Mr. Speaker: " The reaper, Death, deals right and left," 
and so our friend and colleague, Fred L. Blackmon, has 
passed to the great beyond. 

When the tidings of his untimely death reached Wash- 
ington our hearts were saddened inexpressibly. Only a 
short while before he had presided in this Chamber, where 
we had gathered to pay tribute to the lamented Senator 
Bankhead, from his own loved State of Alabama, and now 
he, too, has " joined the innumerable throng " who have 
gone before. With bowed heads and saddened hearts we 
laid him to rest in his home at Anniston, Ala. I attended 
his funeral, and the many beautiful tributes bore eloquent 
testimony to the love and esteem in which he was held by 
those who knew him best. Old and young, rich and poor, 
were there to pay the last tribute to their fellow citizen 
and friend. 

During the years I have been associated with Mr. Black- 
mon in the House I have been impressed with his absolute 
honesty and uprightness. He was a man of strong con- 
victions, with the courage to live up to them. He was 
fearless in his advocacy of the right and never faltered in 
doing his full duty to his constituents and friends. Truly 
we shall miss him. We shall miss having the benefit of 
his clear vision and fine mentality. His strict adherence 
to principle and his willingness to bear his part in the 
bivouac of life were an inspiration to all with whom he 
came in contact. 

We can not understand why one in the prime of life, so 
well fitted to be of service to his fellow man and so eager 
to serve, should be taken, but — 

[38] 



Address of Mr. Bell, of Georgia 



If we could push ajar the gates of life, 

And stand within, and all God's working see, 

We could interpret all this doubt and strife, 
And for each mystery find a key. 

But not to-day; then be content, poor hearts; 

God's plans like lilies pure and white unfold; 
We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart — 

Time will reveal the calyxes of gold. 

And if, through patient toil, we reach the land 
Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest, 

When we shall know and clearly understand, 
I think that we shall say that " God knows best. 



[39] 



Address of Mr. Rainey, of Alabama 

Mr. Speaker : In memoriam of Fred L. Blackmon, my 
departed friend, I wish to speak of his life, his character, 
his virtues, and then to lay tenderly upon his bier a 
wreath of flowers to his memory — a tribute to this 
good, manly, and kind-hearted man. At his funeral 
service, in his home town of Anniston, Ala., and in 
his own home, I looked for the last time upon the well- 
remembered features of Fred Blackmon. I saw an 
embankment of flowers bestowed by admiring friends, 
fraternal orders, and organizations. I heard one of the 
most eloquent sermons fall from the lips of man, deliv- 
ered by Dr. Frank Brandon, my former pastor. I saw his 
family, relatives, and friends stricken in sorrow and be- 
reavement, and then at the conclusion of the service I 
saw men from all the walks of life — the low and the high, 
the rich and the poor — fde by the casket and gaze for the 
last time upon the calm face. I saw a man of talent and 
of genius pause — one of Alabama's most gifted sons — and 
the tears trickled down his cheeks, and then I saw the old, 
hardy son of toil from the mountains, his long gray beard 
like the prophets of old, look upon his face, and heard 
him exclaim, " Fred was always my friend." 

Mr. Speaker, these incidents proclaim the man. He was 
a child of nature. He loved his fellow men, and they 
loved him and were proud of him. Time in his relent- 
less course cuts down all alike. He spares neither the rich 
nor the poor, the low nor the high, the weak nor the strong, 
the mediocre nor the man of genius. Naught can defy 
him, for in his onward course he has leveled mountains 
with the plains, changed the course of mighty rivers, and 
altered the basins of the seas. The stars, the planets, and 
all that encompass heaven's cosmos have bowed to the 

[40] 



Address of Mr. Rainey, of Alabama 



mandates of time. We mortals must follow nature's 
course, and yet, though the bodv is cold in death, his 
actions and influence shall live. His memory shall be 
perpetuated not only in marble and upon the records of 
his Nation but in the hearts and memory of living men. 
The date and place of birth, childhood, and young man- 
hood of the deceased have already been gone into in tin- 
remarks of his bosom friend, Mr. Dent, and therefore I 
shall speak of him from the time I first knew him, which 
was about 19-07. At that time Mr. Blackmon was the 
junior member of one of the big law firms of Alabama— 
Knox, Acker & Blackmon. He handled many cases for 
his firm in my home town, Gadsden, Ala. In the trial of 
these cases he attracted the attention of the local bar and 
gave evidences of the qualifications which later developed 
him into one of the leading trial lawyers of our State. 
He knew men, and he knew human nature. This trait or 
gift, together with his ability in presenting his case, made 
him a power before the jury. 

As a practitioner he was a success, and later in life, 
when he entered the political arena, these same qualifica- 
tions insured to him political success. As a man, a 
lawyer, and a politician he enjoyed great popularity. 
Familiarly known as " Ered," he was esteemed a loyal 
and true friend, firm in his convictions and known never 
to swerve from any stand he had taken so long as he 
believed he was right. In the House he voted his convic- 
tions fearlessly and regardless of consequences. Some 
men are politicians and vote public sentiment. In this 
sense Mr. Blackmon was not a politician but always voted 
as he believed. He was not one of those who are moved 
by public opinion, fads, or sentiment. In the great battle 
of life he won, and thousands in his district remember 
him as their ardent friend. As a husband and father he 
was affectionate, tender, and ever mindful of the slightest 

[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

wish of wife or children. To know him was to love him, 
and his friends were bound to him "with hoops of steel." 
Life at best is one great struggle, and that character so 
strong and ennobling which not only achieves success but 
blesses all with kindness and consideration with whom 
it comes in contact is rare indeed; but such was the char- 
acter of Fred L. Blackmon. With the great lens of life 
he concentrated the sunbeams of happiness, good cheer, 
kindness, and good fellowship into many a dismal and 
benighted heart and caused to spring therein new hope 
and new aspirations. His personality was grand and the 
influence of that personality gave confidence and courage. 
While yet in the prime of manhood and usefulness the 
grim reaper summoned him to answer death's call. He 
answered that call as he had lived — courageously and 
fearlessly. Farewell, my good friend, forever. You have 
gone the way all of us must soon follow. May your mem- 
ory live green always in the hearts of your friends and 
may the influence of your good deeds live hereafter. 

Mr. Almon. Mr. Speaker, one of our colleagues, Mr. 
Bankhead, of Alabama, was called home yesterday very 
suddenly and speedily on account of the death of his 
sister, Mrs. George A. Lund, and he asked me to explain 
why he could not be here to-day. Also, Mr. Rainey, of 
Alabama, was called home on account of very important 
business. So I ask unanimous consent that they be per- 
mitted to extend their remarks in the Record. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. 

Mr. Dent. Mr. Speaker, I have been especially requested 
by the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Ramseyer], who is un- 
avoidably absent, and who served with Mr. Blackmon on 
the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads, to 
secure permission for him to extend his remarks in the 

[42] 



Proceedings in the House 



Record. And I ask unanimous consent that the request 
be granted. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. 

Mr. Dent. And, Mr. Speaker, I am also especially re- 
quested to ask the same consent for the gentleman from 
Georgia [Mr. Bell] and the gentleman from Kentucky 
[Mr. Rouse], both of whom served with our late friend on 
the Committee on the Post Ofhce and Post Roads. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. 

Mr. Dent. And, Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members be 
permitted to extend their remarks in the Record on the 
life, character, and public services of the late Representa- 
tive from Alabama, Mr. Fred L. Blackmon. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. 

Mr. Dent. Now, Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do 
now adjourn. 

Thereupon, in accordance with the resolution pre- 
viously adopted, the House (at 2 o'clock and 12 minutes 
p. m.) adjourned until Monday, February 21, 1921, at 12 
o'clock in. 



|43| 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 



Tuesday, February 8, 1921. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by D. K. 
Hempstead, its enrolling clerk, communicated to the Sen- 
ate the intelligence of the death of Hon. Fred L. Black- 
mon, late a Representative from the State of Alabama, and 
transmitted the resolutions of the House thereon. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, I ask that the resolu- 
tion just received from the House of Representatives may 
be laid before the Senate. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays the resolutions of 
the House of Representatives before the Senate, which 
will be read. 

The reading clerk read the resolutions of the House, as 

follows : 

In the House of Representatives 

of the United States, 

February 8, 1921. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, a Representative from the 
State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That a committee of 18 Members of the House, with 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 



76117—22- 



[45] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, the Senate has just 
heard the announcement of the death of my friend and 
colleague, Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, a Representative in 
Congress from the State of Alabama. He died leaving 
many friends to mourn his loss and left a record behind 
him of public duty well performed that will be an honor 
to his State and a credit to his people. 

1 offer the following resolutions and move their 
adoption. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 441) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, late a 
Representative from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That a committee of six Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to join the committee appointed by the House of 
Representatives to take order for the superintending of the funeral 
of Mr. Blackmon at Anniston, Ala. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

The Vice President appointed as the committee under 
the second resolution Mr. Underwood, Mr. Heflin, Mr. 
Dial, Mr. King, Mr. Fernald, and Mr. Curtis. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, as a further mark of 
respect to the memory of the deceased Representative, I 
move that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 6 
o'clock and 10 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Wednesday, February 9, 1921, at 11 o'clock 
a. m. 

Wednesday, March 2, 1921. 
Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, on account of the recent 
death of one of my colleagues in the House and the fact 

[46] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



that the resolutions came over from the House at a late 
hour in respect to another colleague who has passed away, 
it is desired at an early date to hold memorial services. 
We are approaching the closing hours of the Congress. I 
ask unanimous consent that a short time may be set aside 
this afternoon to offer resolutions in reference to the late 
Fred L. Blackmon, of Alabama, and that a few short 
speeches may be made. I ask that at 3 o'clock the un- 
finished business may be laid aside for that purpose. It 
will not take long to dispose of it. 

Mr. Poindexter. I have no objection. 

The Vice President. There being no objection, the order 
will be entered. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, the Senate by order has 
set apart the hour of 3 o'clock for eulogies on a late Rep- 
resentative from the State of Alabama, and as that hour 
has about arrived, if there is no objection, I will ask that 
the Senate proceed under that order. 

I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate the resolutions 
of the House of Representatives. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Fernald in the chair). The 
Chair lays before the Senate the resolutions of the House 
of Representatives, which will be read. 

The reading clerk read the resolutions, as follows: 

In the Hoise of Representatives 

of the United States, 

February 20, 1921. 
Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of 
Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, late a Member of this House from the 
State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
of the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public 
career the House at the conclusion of these exercises shall stand 
adjourned. 



[47] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to 
the family of the deceased. 

Mr. Underwood. Mr. President, I submit the following 
resolutions and ask for their adoption. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 469) were read and considered 
by unanimous consent, as follows: 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended, 
that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of the 
Hon. Fred L. Blackmon, late a Member of the House of Repre- 
sentatives from the State of Alabama. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the family of the decedent. 



[481 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Underwood, of Alabama 

Mr. President: We stand in the closing hours of a dying 
Congress. The hour is fast approaching when friend- 
ships of many years' standing must part and go their sepa- 
rate ways. We can not but feel in our inner hearts a note 
of sadness as we realize the ties that bound many of us 
together are about to sever, and in this hour we halt the 
column in its march along the legislative highways to 
recall the memory of our friends and colleagues who 
served loyally with us in life and passed to the great be- 
yond within the life of this Congress. 

The State of Alabama asks you to halt the legislative 
battle for an hour to do reverence to the memory of our 
honored son, Fred L. Blackmon, of the fourth district of 
Alabama, who served until a few weeks ago, when he was 
called to his fathers. 

Mr. President, the delegation from Alabama mourn the 
loss of another friend and colleague, who died but a few 
weeks ago. Fred L. Blackmon was born in Lime Branch, 
Polk County, Ga., on the 15th day of September, 1873, and 
when he was 20 years of age he moved to Calhoun County, 
Ala., and made that his home to the day of his death. He 
served with distinction in the General Assembly of Ala- 
bama, and was elected to the Sixty-second Congress and 
served for nearly 10 years, up to the time of his death. 
He was a lawyer of excellent ability and high attainments; 
a representative of the people, in whom all had confidence 
in his high integrity, honesty of purpose, unbending loy- 
alty to the principles in which he believed, and devotion 
to his people unrivaled by any. He was a Democrat in 

[49] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

political faith, not merely by the accident of birth or 
environment but because he had a full understanding of 
the fundamental principles of his party and unyielding 
faith in those great principles being the beacon star of our 
national life. He had the courage of his convictions. He 
never sacrificed principle for the sake of expediency. He 
was ready to sustain the cause he advocated regardless of 
the cost to himself. He was an excellent debater and 
earnest worker and loyal friend. But, above all things, 
he stood to the world foursquare as a real man, a stanch 
friend, and true American. Honesty of purpose and loy- 
alty of character always marked his course in life. We 
who knew him best loved him most. His passing from us 
left a deep sorrow in our hearts and an abiding love of 
his memory that will rest with us always. 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Robinson, of Arkansas 

Mr. President: The Senate has scarcely known a busier 
time than that through which we are now passing. We 
pause in the midst of important duties to pay tribute to 
the memory of two departed friends. Both of them 
served with ability and distinction in the House of Rep- 
resentatives. 

The Senate honors itself in paying just and appropriate 
tributes to the name and service of Fred L. Blackmon. 

Mr. Blackmon fell in the very prime of life. His per- 
sonal characteristics endeared him to everyone with 
whom he came in contact. He was genial, sincere, loyal, 
and able. As a lawyer he earned distinction at the bar of 
Alabama. As a legislator his services were characterized 
by independence of thought and fearlessness of action. 
He belonged to the old school of statesmen who believed 
in the preservation of the respective powers of the States 
and of the Nation. He witnessed with regret the constant 
growth and multiplication of Federal agencies and the 
expansion of Federal activities. We are all conscious of 
the fact that Federal agencies during the last 20 years 
have multiplied in numbers and that Federal activities 
have been so greatly increased Congress is now almost 
constantly in session. Throughout the future it is prob- 
able that Congress will be in continuous performance. 

Mr. Blackmon enjoyed many intimate friends through- 
out the period of his service in the House of Representa- 
tives. He was interested in many important measures of 
legislation. As a speaker he was forceful, clear, and 
direct. He was always prompt and diligent in the per- 
formance of his duties. His people trusted him and re- 
peatedly returned him to Congress. He rewarded their 
confidence with faithful devotion to their interests and 
with conscientious performance of duty. 

[51] 



Address of Mr. McKellar, of Tennessee 

Mr. President: Alabama has indeed been unfortunate 
lately in the loss of her distinguished sons. Mr. Burnett's 
death was followed by that of Congressman Fred L. 
Blackmon, a Representative from the fourth Alabama 
district. His death was sudden and unexpected. He died 
while away from home. 

Mr. President, I was born in the State of Alabama, in 
the district that was represented in the House of Repre- 
sentatives by Mr. Blackmon for so many years. He lived 
near my home. He was educated by my eldest sister. I 
think the most of the education that he received was re- 
ceived at her hands. He was a splendid young boy. He 
was a good student. He had a splendid mind. When he 
arrived at manhood's estate he became a lawyer, having 
received his legal education at the University of Alabama. 
He made a distinguished record there, and afterwards at 
the bar he quickly assumed a commanding position. He 
was successful in all that he attempted. 

Turning to politics while still a young man, he was 
elected to the House of Representatives and was reelected 
five times, his period of service extending over 10 years. 
Popular in his own district, no one could defeat him. 
Though it was frequently tried, he always won by his 
ability, by his geniality, by his honesty and sincerity of 
purpose. 

He did not always agree with probably most of his con- 
stituents; he frequently disagreed with them. I remem- 
ber on the subject of prohibition his views did not accord 
with the majority views of his district, but in that manly, 
upright, honest, straightforward way of his he voted his 
own convictions, and the people, while disagreeing with 
him upon that important question, always stood by him. 

[52] 



Address of Mr. McKellar, of Tennessee 



I knew him intimately in the House of Representatives. 
I loved him, and I think everyone else who knew him 
loved him — a kindly hearted man, a man of a noble soul, 
a man who had nothing of guile in his nature, a man who 
loved men because they were men, a man in whose word 
every one of his fellows had the most implicit confidence. 
His word was always as good as his bond. He stood high 
in the. House. He was a member of the Post Office Com- 
mittee in that body. He took an active and effective in- 
terest in all that came before that committee. He did 
much for roads and much for the building up of all the 
various branches of the Postal Service. I deeply regret 
his death and shall ever cherish the memory of my 
departed friend. 



[53] 



Address of Mr. Harris, of Georgia 

Mr. President: The Senators from Alabama and other 
States have spoken and will speak of the career of Fred- 
erick L. Blackmon as a citizen of Alabama and as a faith- 
ful and capable Member of Congress. To me he was not 
only my associate in the Halls of Congress, but his birth- 
place and mine were in the same county in Georgia, and I 
can think of him only as a Polk County, Ga., boy who was 
living near me in my earliest years and who was among 
the best and closest friends since I came here as Director 
of the Census in 1913. 

Because he was born and bred in my county and my 
State I wish to make a brief reference to the family, the 
community, and the county that gave him the natural 
endowments, the social standards, and the patriotic im- 
pulses which enabled him to win his way to such dis- 
tinguished service in his day and generation. A man is 
always the product of his nature and his nurture, of his 
inborn powers, and his experiences with the world about 
him — in short, of his heredity and his environment. It is 
through his family stock that he receives his nature, his 
inborn powers, and it is his home and community and 
State that make the nature and provide the experiences 
which train him. If we would answer the question, How 
shall we account for the high achievements of our dead 
friend? we must go to the family stocks from whence he 
sprung and to the home and community in which he 
received his early training. 

Frederick L. Blackmon's mother was Sarah Ann Ross; 
his father was a physician, who lived on his farm in a 
community called Lime Branch, which is within 6 miles 
of Cedartown, where lived my own father, who was also 
a physician. Our fathers were personal friends and co- 
workers in the great profession which seeks to promote 
the health and strength of humanity. 

[54] 



Address of Mr. Harris, of Georgia 



Dr. Augustin Blackmon, the father of Frederick, was 
given the name of Augustin as a mark of admiration for 
a remarkable, man, Augustin Young, who was a near 
neighbor and the grandfather of many noble men and 
women in my county and also the grandfather of the Hon. 
James Young, the very able and conscientious Member of 
Congress from Texas. 

It was an unusually fine type of family stocks who lived 
as neighbors of Dr. Augustin Blackmon and cooperated 
with him in building that community spirit at Lime Branch 
which gave its schools, churches, roads, farms, and homes 
a standing far above that usually found. These families 
were, as their names will show, all derived 1 from that 
Scotch-Irish strain that had settled Virginia, the Carolinas, 
and Georgia, driving back the Indians, cutting down the 
forests, building the homes, bridging the rivers, making 
the laws, and giving a church and school to every com- 
munity. The children and grandchildren of the settlers 
of Virginia and the Carolinas went to middle Georgia by 
the thousands between 1750 and 1800, and scarcely a gen- 
eration had passed before thousands of their descendants 
had moved to western Georgia. As it was usually the 
most daring and the most enterprising of the younger gen- 
eration that moved the empire of the white race westward, 
it was from the best of the human stocks of middle 
Georgia that came the young men and women that made 
the pioneer settlements in western Georgia. The very 
names of these families who settled in Lime Branch be- 
tween 1830 and 1860 show that they were but the advanced 
lines of that great Scotch-Irish strain which left Europe to 
find freedom and the fortunes awaiting them in America. 
As you listen to these names you will find them all Anglo- 
Saxon or Scotch-Irish. Those who made the early settlers 
at Lime Branch were the Blackmons, Youngs, Coxes, 
Caseys, Pittmans, Hickses, Sewells, Hoggs, Willinghams, 

[55] 



. Memorial Addresses: Representative Blackmon 

Cleavelands, Merritts, Brewsters, Garners, Winkles, 
Wrays, and many others. Their forefathers and descend- 
ants have distinguished themselves in all the wars from 
the Revolutionary through to the World War. 

Three miles south of Lime Branch lived William F. 
Janes, who as a member of the legislature introduced the 
bill creating Polk County. His son, Charles G. Janes, 
was judge of the Tallapoosa circuit for many years. The 
late Robert W. Everett, a successful teacher and farmer, 
who so ably represented the seventh congressional district 
in Congress, lived near by and taught many of those who 
lived in the Lime Branch neighborhood and other sections 
of Polk County. 

These and others were the family stocks that gave pres- 
tige to Lime Branch and Polk County by their traditions 
and churches and schools and which trained every child 
to the best ideals of manhood. It was the Blackmon-Ross 
marriage, both Scotch-Irish names, that gave to Frederick 
Blackmon the ability and the training that secured for 
him the confidence and the leadership of the congres- 
sional district in Alabama to which his mother moved 
before his youth was completed. Mrs. David Lowry and 
Mrs. Samuel Hogg, two splendid women of Polk County, 
Ga., are sisters of Frederick Blackmon. 

I trust that the Senators will not think it improper for 
me to speak of these facts and names that apparently 
belong to one family and one county, for reflection will 
convince them that it is well to give honor to those fire- 
sides and those community influences which produce 
strong and noble men like Frederick Blackmon. 

From scenes like these old Scotia's grandeur springs, 
That makes her loved at home, revered abroad. 

Princes and lords are but the breath of kings — 
An honest man's the noblest work of God. 



[56] 



Address of Mr. Harris, of Georgia 



A boy born and bred in a rural community in Polk 
County, Ga.; moved in his youth to Alabama with his 
mother, who continued there the same inspiration to 
noble deeds, the same respect for right and duty, the same 
urge to high achievements as had made the spirit of the 
home in Georgia; and the boy became the servant of his 
State and of all the United States in the Halls of Congress. 
This is the continuing glory of our country. 



V 



[57] 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 

Mr. President: The custom of holding memorial serv- 
ices out of respect for and in honor of a Member of Con- 
gress who died in the service is indeed a beautiful and 
praiseworthy custom. Here we are in the closing hours of 
the session and yet Congress halts its pressing, important 
business and lays aside its legislative program long enough 
to pay a tribute of love and esteem to two able and faith- 
ful Members who have so recently served here. Death has 
invaded the ranks of the Alabama delegation three times 
during the Sixty-sixth Congress. Three able and faithful 
servants of our people, one Senator and two Members of 
the House, have gone from these historic Halls to their 
last resting place. When memorial services were held in 
the House in honor of Congressman Burnett I was a Mem- 
ber of that body and delivered one of the addresses on 
that occasion. I now desire to say a few words about my 
good friend and recent colleague in the House, Fred L. 
Blackmon, who died just a few days ago while serving the 
fourth Alabama district in the Congress of the United 
States. He was only 48 years old when the summons 
came. In the midst of a brilliant and useful career, just 
in the prime of life, death called him and he left us to join 
that innumerable throng over yonder where there is no 
death but life forevermore. 

Mr. President, years ago he was elected by the good 
people of Calhoun County to represent them in the Ala- 
bama State Senate. He had before coming to Congress 
legislative experience and training which wonderfully 
well equipped him for service in the lower House. He 
was elected from the fourth district of Alabama, the dis- 
trict adjoining the fifth, the one that I had the honor to 
represent for more than 16 years in the other branch of 

Congress. 

[581 



Address of Mr. Heflin, of Alabama 



The people of that district delighted to honor him and 
to have him as their Representative in the greatest law- 
making hody in the world. For 10 years the people of that 
district commissioned him as their Representative and 
he had been elected to represent them in the Sixty-seventh 
Congress. After his last triumphant election he an- 
nounced his intention to retire at the expiration of the 
Sixty-seventh Congress and go back into the practice of 
the law at Anniston, Ala. He was a splendid and a won- 
derfully successful lawyer, and had for years enjoyed the 
reputation of being one of the very best trial lawyers in 
our State. He was exceedingly popular with both judge 
and jury. He was a brave, manly man, a devoted friend, 
a good citizen, and an able and faithful Representative in 
Congress. 

Mr. President, he will be missed and mourned by a large 
circle of devoted friends in Alabama and by those with 
whom he served so ably and well here in the Capitol of 
the Nation. In the brilliancy and buoyancy of a useful 
life death touched his dreamless slumber to his eyelids 
and he fell asleep. He leaves a charming and devoted 
wife and two splendid children, Fred L., jr., and Sara B. 
Blackmon, to mourn his loss. In his death Alabama has 
lost a distinguished, valuable, and popular citizen and an 
able and faithful Representative in the Congress of the 
United States. 

Mr. President, I move the adoption of the resolutions 
submitted by my colleague [Mr. Underwood]. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Walsh of Massachusetts in 
the chair). Without objection, the resolutions offered by 
the senior Senator from Alabama will be unanimously 
agreed to. 



[59] 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



013 900 458 9 



